From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Thu Jul 18, 2002  1:12 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Lonnie Mack

LONNIE MACK

Born Lonnie McIntosh, 18 July 1941, Aurora, Indiana

Guitarist / singer.
Lonnie Mack began playing guitar while still a child, drawing early
influence from a local blues musician, Ralph Trotts, as well as
established figures Merle Travis and Les Paul. He later led a C&W
act, Lonnie And The Twilighters, and by 1961 was working regularly
with the Troy Seals Band. In 1963, Mack recorded his exhilarating
instrumental version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" (originally released
on the small Buccaneer label before it was picked up by Fraternity).
By playing his Gibson 'Flying V' guitar through a Leslie cabinet, the
revolving device which gives the Hammond organ its distinctive sound,
Mack created a striking, exciting style. "Memphis" eventually reached
the US Top 5, while an equally urgent original, "Wham", subsequently
went to # 24.
The album "The Wham Of That Memphis Man" confirmed the artist's
vibrant skill, which drew on blues, gospel and country traditions.
Several tracks, notably "I'll Keep You Happy", "Where There's A Will"
and "Why", also showed Mack's prowess as a soulful vocalist, and
later recordings included a rousing rendition of Wilson Pickett's "I Found
A Love". The guitarist also contributed to several sessions by Freddy
King and appeared on James Brown's "Kansas City" (1967). In 1968
Mack left the Fraternity label for Elektra, where the LP's "Glad I'm In
The Band" and "Whatever's Right" updated the style of early recordings
and included several notable remakes, although the highlight of the
latter set was the extended "Mt. Healthy Blues". Mack also added bass
to the Doors' "Morrison Hotel" (1970) and undertook a national tour prior
to recording "The Hills Of Indiana". This low-key, primarily country album
was the prelude to a six-year period of seclusion which ended in 1977 with
"Home At Last". Mack then guested on Michael Nesmith's "From A Radio
Engine To The Photon Wing", before completing "Lonnie Mack And Pismo",
but this regeneration was followed by another sabbatical. He re-emerged in
1985 under the aegis of Texan guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who co-produced
the exciting "Strike Like Lightning". Released on the Alligator label, a
specialist in modern blues, the album rekindled this talented artist's
career, a rebirth that was maintained on the fiery "Second Sight".

Recommended listening:
Memphis Wham (Ace 713)
From Nashville To Memphis (Ace 807)
Still On The Move (Ace 847)
Official website: http://www.lonniemack.com/default.htm